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Science Online and archival access

Dear Liblicense-l members,

The BIBSAM consortium has since 2001 had an agreement with AAAS for access
to Science Online for 17 academic institutions in Sweden. Similar to all
licenses for e-journals negotiated by BIBSAM, the Science license includes
a clause on archival rights.

The negotiations for renewal 2003 have focussed mainly on two issues:
- The steep price increase and new pricing model(s)suggested by Science
- The (continued) need for a clause in the license granting perpetual 
  access to the licensed material

It is now clear that AAAS is not willing to include archival rights as
part of the terms for BIBSAM 2003, and the negotiations are therefore
terminated.

Instead of a renewed consortium license, the new Director of the Science
site-licensing program will now contact the BIBSAM libraries individually
and offer them continued subscription to Science Online, without archival
rights. The discount for 2003 will be substantial, to make it likely that
all libraries that were part of the old license will continue their
Science Online subscription 2003. The cost for these libraries in future
subscription periods is an open question, but the increase is likely to be
substantial already 2004. However, should they choose to discontinue their
subscription at a later stage, they have no archival rights.

Archival rights is one of the fundamental principles for the BIBSAM
licensing consortium. The reasons are many, and these are well documented
elsewhere. However, the Science representative has now informed me that
archival rights is something of importance only to consortium
administrators - that this is not a big concern for the individual
libraries, who are happy to sign on without archival rights outside a
consortium setting.

I am bewildered. Librarians, consortium co-ordinators, Science Online
subscribers, other publishers; please enlighten me.

Sincerely,
Kari Stange

Senior Executive Officer
BIBSAM - The Royal Library's Department for National Co-ordination and
Development
Box 5039, SE-102 41 STOCKHOLM, Sweden
E-mail: kari.stange@bibsam.kb.se
Phone: + 46 8 463 4275, Mobile: + 46 73 917 3354, Fax: + 46 8 463 4274
URL: http://www.kb.se/bibsam/bibsam.htm